Profit in the Paint Shop Series:

Anticipate the Blend... and Blend!

By Carl Wilson
4/7/2014 10:42:06 AM
A three-stage sprayout letdown panel.
Merriam-Websters online dictionary lists blend as a verb:
To mix (things) thoroughly and usually with good results. A
few synonyms and related words are listed, too: combine,
incorporate, mix, stir, conjoin. Well, thats not quite what
we mean when we say blend.
Blend is also listed as a noun: Something produced by mixing
or combining different things. And thats not what we mean,
either.
While we use the term blend in the paint shop as both a verb and a noun, it certainly
isnt either of the definitions we just read. My 1957 Thorndike-Barnhart dictionary
mirrors Websters definitions, so I think we can reasonably conclude that the way we
use the word blend in our industry isnt due to generational differences. Nor can it be
attributed to idioglossia or cryptophasia (that secret language between twins). But its
fair to say that, to the outsider, the lingo we use is indeed cryptic.
We know what we mean when we say blend, though getting into the adjacent panel
for color consistency purposes. Creating the illusion of a perfect match by blending
(verb). And its important that a painter can perform a nice blend (noun). I dont want to
oversimplify the blending process, but once a painter is in command of time-tested
techniques and is faithful to the proper execution of them, then it is indeed pretty simple.
However, before we talk about techniques, lets consider the why of blending.
Documenting three-stage.
Why Blend?
The most obvious answer to why is to help hide a color
thats slightly off. We arent going to go down the rabbit hole
of color theory and tinting techniques here, but we will ask,
How do we know the color is slightly off? We know
because weve been diligently building our own personal
color sprayout library, and when we pulled the appropriate
color card out and determined that while its not dead-on, it
certainly is blendable. Right? No? You dont have a
personal library? How about color chips from your paint
manufacturer?
With or without the personal library or manufacturers color chips, we can be certain that
nothing ever always matches. Therefore, we blend. It could be because the vehicle was
repainted before, or it has a transparent color coat from the factory resulting in what
appears to be a blotchy metallic that were probably calling mottled. Try and hide that
mismatch without a blend. It could just be that UV exposure has degraded the hood at
a faster rate than the less exposed fenders, resulting in two colors to match.
Lets hope most of what we mix is not off due to a corrupt bank of toners a failure to
ensure all agitator lids are engaged to the bank and spinning several times a day. Its
possible that the formula has been altered or even completely overhauled and, as a
result, is no longer going to work as the go-to formula for that particular color. We also
cant overlook the effects of metamerism, or the perceived difference of color due to
different light sources delivering different light spectrums. Whatever the reason, the
color is off, and were going to blend.
When Not to Blend
Its important to note, however, that not all things can be blended. For example, a dark
metallic flop on a silver vehicle cannot be hidden in a blend. Blending does not replace
tinting and adjusting color; it complements it. In most cases, youll cycle the car through
the paint shop faster by bringing the color to a blendable match and blending than
attempting to match the color dead on. Not to mention that due to the differences of the
cones in your eyes compared to my eyes, dead-on to me may not be dead-on to you.
Nevertheless, not every scenario is a candidate for blending color. Bumper covers come
to mind. We need no reminder that most of the bumper covers we see on the road dont
quite match. We know that the color behaves differently between plastic and steel
regardless of where you see the origin of the problem. Static electricity of the plastic
affects the lay of the metallic, or the cooling effect of the evaporating solvent results in
different temperatures between the substrates and therefore the painted steel parts take
longer to dry than the plastic parts, which in turn affects the lay of the metallic. Either
way, the metallic can behave differently between the substrates. Yet even with this in
mind, its sometimes prudent to blend the adjacent panels when replacing a cover.
There are colors that simply demand it.
Now hopefully were in agreement that, odds are, were going to blend the color. And
hopefully were making that decision at the beginning of the repair process so we can
maintain an efficient flow. Its important that you refer to the technical reference manual
provided to you by the paint manufacturer for specifics regarding blending their color. It
will cover all the procedures and products necessary to maintain the integrity of their
product and their warranty. So let that be your guide as I present to you a few
techniques for you to consider.
Wet Bed
Another technique that makes metallic easier to control is a wet bed. Most of the
systems Im familiar with have a product that can be applied over the blend panel, and
this gives a wet bed for the blend to lay on, minimizing any metallic halo at the edge of
the blend that sometimes shows up with high metallic colors. Check with your jobber or
technical rep to find the specific product to use. By the way, splitting the color and a wet
bed splitting both the base and the mid-coat at their respective edges can help you
when youre blending a three-stage pearl or candy job.
Mastering Pearls
As long as weve broached the subject of pearls, I would like to offer another time-tested
tidbit.
Undoubtedly, youre familiar with a letdown panel or sprayout card you made showing
base color and one, two, three and four coats of pearl. Usually only half the card is
cleared, and its used to compare to the vehicle to ascertain the proper number of pearl
or midcoats you would need to apply to achieve a match. The challenge can be when
four or five coats of pearl are needed to transform the base into a blendable match, and
then you have to blend those four or five coats onto the blend panel without getting a
halo of pearl to give your blend away.
Painting only a bumper cover is easy enough with no halo to worry about. But in the
middle of a door? Thats more difficult. So I tucked away what a technical rep told me 20
years ago: Tint your base so when you blend it out, it sort of looks done. His point was
to avoid having to radically transform the color of the base with several coats of pearl;
adjust the base instead so you dont have to.
This tip doesnt really apply to factory candies the ones where you have a semi-
muddy orange metallic base you must transform into a bright and clean candy apple. No
shortcut there. You have to make sprayouts and tint accordingly, but go ahead and split
the color. That will help!
Body Lines
Another blending tactic is to utilize body lines to help hide the color transition. In
addition, drawing the blend across the panel diagonally rather than vertically can assist
in hiding the blend. Pardon the redundancy, but again, the color must be close enough
for a blend to begin with; some mismatches simply will not blend out to achieve an
invisible blend.
Sealer Edge
Before we get away from color, theres another situation that can cause grief for a
painter: seeing the edge of the sealer through the color. This can be common with
waterborne, which when dry is so thin that it maps the sealers edge and it telegraphs to
the surface. The practice of over-reducing the sealer in order to render it thinner and
achieve a smoother surface is not recommended. That will result in an insufficient film
build of sealer, which is one of the causes of sealer failure. A better solution is to mix
and apply the sealer according to the manufacturers recommendation and melt the
edge in with a blending solvent. When done properly, this eliminates a telegraphed
sealer edge.
Blending Clear
On to blending clear, or burning a blend in the clear or melting the edge in with a
blending solvent as opposed to taking the clear to a natural breaking point. The answer
is no. I know of no paint or car manufacturer that endorses that practice. They all
predict failure if attempted, maybe not today or tomorrow, but in time as the edge of
your clear blend will be revealed since it never melted into the OEM clear.
Yet, as a practical matter, theres a difference between Grandmas 1991 sedan (which
has a scratch on the quarter panel that youre painting for free) and a paying customer
for whom youre providing a warranty. The fact that youre providing a warranty means
youll want the paint manufacturer to stand behind their product, which demands that
you follow their directives when using their products. So while you may have figured out
tricks to facilitate the blending of clear, its not a sound practice. I guess youll have to
work that out with Grandma.
Increased Production
What were aiming for here is increased production through improved efficiency,
specifically in the paint shop. So lets be proactive in anticipating the blends that will
facilitate this, rather than creating a mismatch that will force us back into the booth.
Splitting the Color
Decades ago, my father taught me a technique called splitting the color. When he was
a young combo man, lacquer was king. He would sometimes cocktail the color with clear
50-50 for his final coats of color. He believed it better emulated the look of the factory
lacquer, which was reflowed with high heat to improve gloss and minimize buffing. That
works with lacquer because the color and clear are brothers.
With todays coating systems, color and clear are not brothers, so we cannot mix them.
But we can still split the color. Essentially, the result of split color is half the pigment
suspended in a carrier of the same viscosity. The color, metallic or mica everything
behaves the same as unsplit color but with only half as much being applied. Its critical to
maintain a consistent viscosity in order for the color to behave the same, which is why
you cannot simply reduce the color with solvent. If you ever have, you know that the
result is a different color as the metallic will behave differently than the more viscous
color youve already applied and are attempting to blend.
Rather than using clear or solvent as the splitting agent, you use the same translucent
product from your mixing bank that you use when mixing a mid-coat such as pearl. This
is your splitting agent. Be mindful of any reduction youve done to your paint before
youve split it, so you can maintain the same reduction after youve split it. Not to insult
anyones intelligence, but this split color is applied at the edge of the paint youve
already applied for coverage in order to transition your color into the cars existing color.
Of course, not all colors need this, but many will benefit from the technique.
Carl Wilson has been painting for nearly 30 years, with formal training from the GM
Training Center, ASE, I-CAR and multiple product and color courses. He currently
works as a technical rep for Hi-Line Distributors in Oahu, Hawaii. He can be reached at
carl@refinishexpert.com.